(CS) While a referendum next year is set to decide whether the public is in favour or against opening up voting rights to foreigners, the final decision could be up to the CSV, a debate on Monday revealed.

Speaking at an AMCHAM event, five Luxemburg politicians from the DP, LSAP, CSV, ADR and the Pirate Party explored a number of topics, with voting rights, however, emerging as the key issue of the night.

Both Marc Angel (LSAP) and Claude Radoux (DP) voiced their support for a positive outcome of the referendum, arguing that no other country in the EU has Luxembourg's population statistics, and that this is an opportunity for the Grand Duchy to be at the political forefront.

However, the ADR's Roy Reding pointed out that, in his opinion, the referendum is little more than an “opinion poll” with the text of the reformed constitution required to reach 40 out of 60 votes in parliament to pass.

This is more than the coalition's majority of 32 seats, requiring eight votes from the opposition.

A European solution

Both Reding and the CSV's Laurent Mosar on Monday, however, reiterated their respective party lines, speaking out against opening up voting rights to foreigners, with Mosar explaining that for his party voting rights are tied to citizenship. He added, however, that he is expecting the government to put forward a law for easier access to citizenship over the coming months.

In a time of political dissatisfaction among the public, however, Mosar said that the CSV would not backtrack on its party programme. An alternative proposed by the politician was to find a solution at EU level, in line with the Let Me Vote campaign, which suggests that because of the freedom of movement among member states, EU citizens should be able to vote in their country of residence, not only their country of origin.

For the Pirate Party's Sven Clement, the proposals made by the coalition are a “fig leaf”, allowing the government to say that they have done something, “whitewashing” it of its responsibilities. Clement argued that even if implemented, the provisions stipulated in the referendum question – a minimum residence of 10 years and having previously voted in either a local or European election in Luxembourg – would make access to voting rights “elitist”.

Importance of international community

The evening also saw the LSAP and the DP representatives defend the new system of family allowances, criticised by Reding as being “anti-family.” Both Angel and Radoux on the other hand said that they are aimed at enabling women to return to the workforce and maintain their independence, for example by more investments in children's day care.

Other issues addressed included the need for more English language education, a clear vision – or lack thereof, according to the opposition – for the future of Luxembourg, and the necessity to increase the offer of available real estate on the market in a bid to put a stop to rising housing prices.

Overall, the politicians emphasised the importance of the international community in Luxembourg, with representatives of all parties stressing its contribution to the country's economic, social and cultural wealth.